Display fixture



A ril 24, 1934-. w. K. ROTH DISPLAY FIXTURE Filed Feb.

1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l Q INYENTOR WITNESSES WZ/zam 7C lwf/z 5 6f 2%0 BY fi ATTORNEY Aprii 24, 1934. w ROTH I 1,955,771

DISPLAY FIXTURE l ID: J

3; m ATTORNEY I Patented Apr. 24, 1934 NETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to display fixtures for supporting and exhibiting articles of merchandise, and has for an object to provide a fixture of this character formed of a number of tubes which are nested together to form the stand, and with arms for supporting the ar-- ticles of merchandise carried by the ends of the tubes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display fixture having tubular supports and arms which are adjustable in the supports to relatively angular operative positions therewith, and which are collapsible and may be retracted to inoperative positions within the supports.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a display fixture having means for supporting a relatively large number of articles of merchandise in such a manner that the articles are spaced from each other sothat they can be readily seen, and with means for changing the relative position of the supporting means so that difierent arrangements of displaying the articles may be produced.

With these and other objects inview, the invention also resides in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described and claimed hereinafter.

In the drawings illustrating the invention Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the fixture with the arms for supporting the articles of merchandise in collapsed position within the tubes;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of'the view shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View of the upper portion of one of the tubes showing the arm for supporting the article of merchandise in retracted position therein;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional viewof one of" the tubes with the arm in an operative position for supporting the article of merchandise;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the upper portion of the tube and arm shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is the opposite side view of a portion of the tube and arm shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the upper portion of one of the tubes showing a modified form of the arm for supporting the article of merchandise;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of aportion of" the arm illustrated in Fig. 8';

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the lower portion of one of the tubes; a'portionof the-base; and the construction of the lower arm and its connection with the lower end of the tube;

Fig. 11 is a view partly in section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the plate member which holds the upper ends of the tubes in fixed relation;

Fig. 13 is-a view in elevation of a modified form in which the tubes are made up of telescoping sections.

The display device 10 illustrated in the drawings includes a stand 11 composed of a number of tubes 12, which are mounted in openings 13 in a base 14. The openings 13 extend through the top plate 15' of the base 14, one opening being arranged at the center and with the others arranged in equally spaced circumferential relation there about. A plate 16 having correspondingly-arranged openings secures the tubes in corresponding fixed grouped relation substantially at the middle ofthe stand 11. The flared portion 1'7- of the base is provided with slots 18 which are in radial alinement with the openings 13'. These slotsalso divide the base portion 17 into feet 19 which support the stand.

The tubes 12 are hexagonal shaped in cross section, but it is to be understood that they may be of any desired shape. Certain of these tubes are of different length, the tube at the rear of the group being the longest and each succeeding tube or row of tubes toward the front of the group being shortened to provide a stepped construction, whereby hanger arms 20 supported in the upper ends of the tubes will be thus arranged at diiferent elevations.

In the upper end of each of the tubes 12; a plunger 21 of hexagonal shape in cross section is slidably mounted. Each of these plungers is connected to a hanger arm 20-by a ball-and-socket connection 22. This connection is provided with cross slots 23 which permit the swinging of the arm 20 to a vertical position so that the plunger 21 and the arms 20 may be slid into the tube to a retracted inoperative position against a stop 24. The hanger arm 20 has a bracket arm 25 pivoted theretoat 26, a cross-bar 27 being pivoted to the arm '25" at 27. The bracket arm 25 is hinged at its center, whereby it may be collapsed with the cross bar 27' against the arm 20, as shown in broken-outline'inFig. 5. When in collapsed condition, the arm 20, together with the bracket arm-.25 and the cross bar 26, may be retracted to an inoperative position within the tube 12, as

shown in Fig. 4. Thus constructed, the hanger arm 20-prov-ides the ends 29, 30- and 31 for supporting articles of merchandise upon the display device.

The bracket arm 25 may be arranged in a depending position, as shown in Fig. 5. The balland-socket connection 22, however, permits the swinging of the arm 20 to a vertical position, in which position it may be turned on the connection 22 to effect an engagement of the stud 32 with the respective ends of the cross slots 23, by which the arm 20 may be disposed in extended position with the bracket arm 25 arranged horizontally either to the right or left, or in an upwardly-extending position, that is, opposite to that shown in Fig. 5.

Each of the hanger arms 20 is also swingable horizontally on its connection 22 about the axis of the tube on which it is mounted. Thus the said arms may be disposed on the stand 11 in various angularly-arranged, outwardly extending positions so that a great many different arrangements for displaying articles thereon may be obtained.

The hanger arms for supporting the articles may also be constructed as shown in Fig. 8. In this construction the hanger arms 33 are each connected to a plunger 21 by a ball-and-socket joint having a set screw 34 for securing the arms in fixed position on the plunger. The outer end of each arm 33 is provided with a bracket arm 35, having a cross bar 36 pivoted thereto at one end and an angle bar 3'? pivoted thereto at its opposite end. These bars may be swung on their pivots in alinement with the bracket arm 35 to permit the collapsing of the bracket to a position against the bar 33 to permit the retracting of the hanger arm to an inoperative position within the tube. The bracket arm 37 forms a shelf on which articles of merchandise may be arranged, and for this purpose it is provided with a pair of extensions 38 which are hinged to the forward edge of the lower leg of said bracket arm, on pins 39.

The plungers 21 are each provided with a recess 40 which is normally engaged by a pin 41 carried by a spring 42, which is riveted at its lower end to the tube. This spring holds the pin 41 in normal engagement with the plunger 21, securing the plunger in operative position in the upper end of the tube. When the arm is to be moved to an inoperative position within the tube, the spring 42 may be sprung away from the tube, permitting the plunger 21 to move downwardly to retracted position against the stop 24.

With the exception of the centrally-disposed tube, each of the tubes 12 is provided at its lower end with a plunger 43 mounted to slide therein. A tube 44 is pivoted on a pin 45. These tubes extend through the slots 18 in the base 14, with their outer ends resting on the floor or the support for the stand. Supported in the outer end of each of the tubes 44, is another tube 46, in which is mounted a plunger 47 having a cross bar 48 pivoted to the end of the arm 49. Inserted in the lower end of each of the tubes 46 is a plug 50 having a restricted portion 51 and an enlarged end 52. When the tubes 46 are supported in the outer ends of the tubes 44, the restricted portion 51 is arranged in a slot 53 in the outer end of each of the tubes 44, one side edge of the restricted portion 51 bearing against the inner end of the said slot, with the opposite side edge positioned against a pin 54 arranged in the tube 44 adjacent its outer end. The plunger 4'? is normally maintained in operative position in the upper end of the tube 46 by a pin 55, which engages a horizontal slot 56. Communicating with this slot is a vertical slot 57, the plunger 47 being rotatable in the tube 46 to effect a registry of the pin 55 with the slot 57, whereby the plunger 47 may be moved out of engagement with the pin 55 to an inoperative position within the tube. It is to be understood that the ends of the cross arm 48 provide means for supporting articles of merchandise thereon, and since a supporting means of this character extends outwardly through each of the slots 18, there is thus provided a number of radially disposed cross bars about the base 14 on which the articles of merchandise may be supported.

When the display device is to be collapsed, each cross bar 48 is swung to a position in alinement I with its arm 49 and said cross bar with the plunger 47 is moved to an inoperative position within the tube 46. The pin 54 is then withdrawn from the end of the tube 44 and the tube 46 is telescoped within the tube 44. This tube is of a size to fit within the tube 12 in a manner similar to the collapsing of the arm 20 in the upper end of the tube. Each of the plungers 43 is normally held in operative position in the end of its tube 12 by a pin 58 carried by a fiat spring 59 secured to the outer face of the tube, as at 60, the pin 58 engaging an opening 61 in the plunger 43. By releasing the plunger 43 from engagement with the pin 58, the tube 44 may be moved to retracted position within the tube 12. The tubes 12 may each consist of a lower section 62 and an upper section 63 of a size to telescope within the lower section 62, by which means the height of the tubes 12 in the stand 11 may be varied, and the upper section 63 of the tubes may be slid into the lower section to take up less space when the device is collapsed.

I claim:

1. A display device, including a tubular support,

a base for said support, a plunger slidable in said support, an arm pivoted to said plunger, and means carried by said arm on which articles of merchandise may be supported, said base being provided with an opening through which opening said arm projects when in operative position, and said arm and said means being slidable with the plunger to an inoperative position within the tubular support.

2. A display device, including a plurality of tubular members, a base, said base being provided with openings for supporting said members in upstanding condition, a plunger arranged in the lower end of each of said tubular members, an arm pivoted to each of said plungers, and an articlesupporting member carried by the end of each of said arms, said base having its lower portion slotted in alinement with the openings for said tubular members, through which slotted openings said arms project when in operative position, said arms being movable with the plungers to inoperative position within the tubular members.

3. In a display stand, a tubular leg having a slot opening through its outer end, article supporting means including a rigid member having a reduced portion and an enlarged terminal on said reduced portion; and removable means extending transversely of said leg across the outer end of said slot, said reduced portion being receivable in said slot so that said' leg and removable means may cooperate to hold the article suporting M5 means in supporting position, said article supporting means being movable to a position within said leg upon the removal of said removable means.

4. A display device, including an upstanding tu- 156 respect to said support, and also to allow said arm to be swung around with respect to said support while said arm is in the horizontal position, said arm also being movable by reason of said connection, to a position so that the arm, together with the article supporting means and slide may be moved into said support upon the release of said. slide.

WILLIAM K. ROTH. 

